Diarrhea is a common disorder affecting both humans and other animals and can be caused by one or more infectious agents (e.g. viruses, bacteria and parasites), diseases affecting various organs (e.g. the intestine, liver, or adrenal system) and other predisposing factors (e.g. poor nutrition and environmental conditions). Chronic diarrhea is generally due to a number of factors which may occur separately or in combination, including hypersecretion of fluid and electrolytes in the stomach, small intestine and colon; a decrease in the absorption of nutrients; intestinal hypermotility and rapid transport through the digestive system. The loss of fluids and electrolytes often causes dehydration and electrolyte disturbances such as potassium deficiency or other salt imbalances, and can be fatal. Diarrhea is generally treated by rehydration therapy. Various anti-diarrheal drugs are known, one of the most common being antibiotics. However, antibiotic treatment has recently become more problematic, resulting in an increasing need for natural alternative non-antibiotic effective agents and methods for treating a wide range of diarrheal diseases in humans and other animals.
Mycotoxins, produced by mold, often contaminate animal feed and then enter the food chain, resulting in various health problems in both humans and other animals. Animal health is also adversely affected by enterotoxins from bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes and E. coli that target the gastrointestinal tract causing diarrhea upon ingestion. To eliminate the negative effects of mycotoxins and enterotoxins on humans and other animals, a need exists for mycotoxin and enterotoxin binding agents that can be incorporated into human or other animal feed or provided as an oral supplement to inhibit absorption of the toxins into the human or other animal's bloodstream.